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“Do Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God?”
by Douglas Groothuis
http://www.denverseminary.edu/do-christians-and-muslims-worship-the-same-god/
Muslims and Christians both worship one God, and many would argue that they are
the same God. Are they?
Muslims and Christians: How to Get Along?
They both believe in one personal and transcendent God who has sent his prophets
into the world. They both believe in sacred writings that record the prophetic
revelations. They both believe that Jesus was a prophet who was sinless and born of a
virgin. And they both worship with these beliefs firmly in place. We are speaking of
Muslims and Christians, whose members comprise the two largest monotheistic
religions in the world.
In the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Americans have become
fascinated with the beliefs and practices of Islam, which is the fastest growing religion
in the world, with approximately 1.3 billion adherents. Increasingly, Muslims are
immigrating to the West. In various American cities, it is not uncommon to find
mosques — many of them newly built — and to see women in the traditional Muslim
dress mingling with American women dressed quite differently.
In light of this, many Westerners wonder what do Muslims believe and why. They
also question the relationship between Islam and Christianity. Do Muslims and
Christians worship the same God, but merely in different ways? Should Christians
seek to present their beliefs to Muslims in the hope that the Muslim might forsake
Islam and embrace Christianity? Or is this simply a waste of time at best or rude at
worst?
Many instruct us to be "tolerant" and to refrain from "proselytizing" anyone. In the
name of tolerance, some people say that Christians and Muslims should coexist
without trying to convert (or otherwise challenge) each other because "Christians and
Muslims worship the same God." This, many believe, should be good enough for
Muslims and Christians. Many also believe this arrangement is good enough for the
God they both worship as well. If both religions worship the same God, why should
they worry about each other's spiritual state?
Religion, God and Truth
1 If indeed Muslims and Christians worship the same God, there would be little need for
disagreement, dialogue, and debate between them. If I am satisfied to shop at one
grocery store and you are satisfied to shop at another store, why should I try to
convince you to shop at my store or vice versa? Do not both stores provide the food
we need, even if each sells different brands? The analogy is tidy, but does it really fit?
Deeper questions need to be raised if we are to settle the question of whether
Christians and Muslims worship the same God. First, what are the essential teachings
of Christianity and Islam? Second, what does each religion teach about worshipping
its God? Third, what does each religion teach about the other religion? That is, do the
core teachings of Islam and Christianity assure their adherents that members of the
other religion are fine as they are because both religions "worship the same God"?
In When Religion Becomes Evil (Harper. San Francisco, 2002), Charles Kimball
argues that Christians and Muslims do indeed worship the same God. Kimball rightly
observes that truth claims are foundational for religion. But he claims that believers
err when they hold their religious beliefs in a "rigid" or "absolute" manner. So, he
argues, when some Christians criticize the Islamic view of God (Allah) as deficient,
they reveal their ignorance and bigotry. Kimball asserts that "there is simply no
ambiguity here. Jews, Christians, and Muslims are talking about the same deity" (p.
50). This is because the Qur'an affirms that Allah inspired the Hebrew prophets and
Jesus. Moreover, the Arabic word "Allah" means "God." Are Professor Kimball and
so many others who echo similar themes correct? In search of a reasonable answer,
we will briefly consider the three questions from the last paragraph.
Christianity and Islam: The Claims, the Logic, and the Differences
First, what are the teachings that each religion takes to be absolutely true? Although
Islam and Christianity are both monotheistic, their views of God differ considerably.
Islam denies that God is a Trinity — that one God eternally exists as three co-eternal
and equal persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).[1] Islam
also rejects that God became a man in Jesus Christ (John 1:1-18).[2] These doctrines
are cornerstones of Christianity. But God cannot be both a Trinity (Christian) and not
a Trinity (Islam). This is matter of simple logic; it has nothing to do with religious
intolerance or being "rigid."
For Christianity, humans are corrupted by an inherited sinful nature that cannot be
overcome by any human means (Ephesians 2:1-10). But Islam denies that human have
a deeply sinful human nature, claiming that we sin because we are merely weak and
ignorant.[3] Christianity teaches that salvation is secured only through faith in the
2 achievements of Jesus Christ — his life, death, and resurrection (John 3:16-18). Islam,
however, implores its followers to obey the laws of the Qur'an in the hopes that they
will be found worthy of paradise.[4] Since these two views contradict each other, both
views cannot be true.
Second, how does each religion say worship should be offered to God? Muslims deem
worship of the Trinity to be polytheistic and thus blasphemous. Worship of Jesus —
whom they deem only human — is anathema. Yet these beliefs are essential for
Christian worship. One must worship God "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24).
Worship requires assent to the truth of God (the Trinity), belief in the gospel, trust in
Jesus Christ, and submission to God’s will. While Muslims emphasize submission to
Allah ("Islam" means submission), they do not submit to the God revealed in the
Bible. This exposes another irreconcilable difference between Islam and Christianity.
Third, what does each religion make of the other one? Muslims and Christians have
historically tried to convert each other, since they both view adherents of other
religions to be misguided. Islam seeks converts worldwide because it believes Allah is
supreme over all and must be so recognized. Christians are commanded to take the
gospel into all the nations and to baptize converts into the name of the triune God of
the Bible (Matthew 28:18-20).
Neither Christianity nor Islam can logically endorse the other religion’s distinctive
claims and practices without denying its own.
Much more needs to be discussed concerning Muslim and Christian relations in a
religiously pluralistic world. However, we must conclude that despite their common
monotheism, Islam and Christianity have very different views of God, worship, and
mission. Therefore, it is unreasonable to claim that they worship the same God.
Although Islam and Christianity are both monotheistic, their views of God differ
considerably.
Copyright © 2005 Douglas Groothuis. All rights reserved. International copyright
secured.
3 Notes
[1] See The Qur'an, Surah 112:1-4, which denies that God "begat" a son. Surah 4:171
commands Muslims to not say "three" with respect to God; see also Surah 5:73.
However, the Qur'an claims that the Christian doctrine of Trinity affirms that it is
comprised of the Father, the Son, and Mary (Surah 5:116). The Bible, however, never
attributes deity to Mary. For more on how the Qur'an understands Jesus and the
Trinity, see Chawkat Moucarry, The Prophet and the Messiah: An Arab Christian's
Perspective on Islam and Christianity (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001),
184-195.
[2] See The Qur'an, Surah 5:115-18 where Jesus is reported to have denied his own
deity; see also Surah 9:30-31.
[3] See Harold Netland, Dissonant Voices: Religious Pluralism and the Question of
Truth (Vancouver, BC: Regent University Press, 1997), 89-90.
[4] See the Qur’an, Surah 36:54; see also Surah 82:19.
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